Third Top 25 College Football Playoff Rankings – 2016


The third College Football Playoff Rankings of the 2016 season have been released. Alabama remains No. 1, while Clemson checks in at No. 4 to set up a potential rematch of the 2015 title game.


The 12-person selection committee tasked with the challenge of putting together the third College Football Playoff released its third top 25 of the 2016 college football season on Tuesday night, and the group once again unsurprisingly selected unbeaten Alabama as the best team in the country.

The Crimson Tide easily took care of Mississippi State this past Saturday, as they ended the weekend as the lone undefeated out of the Power Five conferences following a chaotic Saturday.

Meanwhile, Ohio State moved up to No. 2 this week following a dominant win over Maryland. Despite having a loss to Penn State, the Buckeyes were able to move up after losses by Michigan, Clemson and Washington on Saturday.

Speaking of the Wolverines and Tigers, those two teams checked in at No. 3 and No. 4 this week, which means they would be in the CFP semifinals if the season ended today. The Huskies check in at No. 6.

This was the third of six sets of rankings, but what really matters is the final one that gets released on December 4. But if the season ended today, the matchups for the College Football Playoff would be No. 1 Alabama vs. No. 4 Clemson in the Peach Bowl and No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan in the Fiesta Bowl. The winners of those two semifinal matchups would meet in Tampa on January 9 for the national championship.

Of course, we all know that these rankings will very likely change over the next several weeks. But, it’s always fun to debate about college football, especially after the chaotic Saturday that we experienced last week.

Top 25 College Football Playoff Rankings

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Clemson
5. Louisville
6. Washington
7. Wisconsin
8. Penn State
9. Oklahoma
10. Colorado
11. Oklahoma State
12. Utah
13. USC
14. West Virginia
15. Auburn
16. LSU
17. Florida State
18. Nebraska
19. Tennessee
20. Boise State
21. Western Michigan
22. Washington State
23. Florida
24. Stanford
25. Texas A&M

MORE: Complete College Football Bowl Projections – Week 12